Russian Helicopters to present Ansat and Mi-171A2 at SITDEF 2021

Russian Helicopters Holding Company will participate in the Eighth International Exhibition of Technology for the Defense and Prevention of Disasters SITDEF 2021 in Lima (Republic of Peru) on October 28-31 at the headquarters of the Peruvian Ground Forces. This year, the Holding Company will introduce potential customers to civilian helicopter technology: Light Twin Helicopter Ansat and Heavy Utility Helicopter Mi-171A2.

More than 350 Soviet and Russian-made helicopters, both civil and military, are in operation in Latin America today. During the exhibition, Russian Helicopters will focus on meetings with civil operators and dealers of Latin American aviation industry. The delegation will hold negotiations with Peruvian partners and representatives of other countries on the topics of helicopter fleet renewal, service maintenance and physical infrastructure upgrade.

"Peru is one of our main partners in the South American market. More than a hundred Russian-made helicopters are in operation in the country. In particular, civil airlines and armed forces of the country have several Mi-171 helicopters in their fleet. Operators appreciate our machines, noting their flight and technical characteristics, high reliability, ease of maintenance, and ability to use them in challenging conditions," said Andrey Boginsky, Director General of Russian Helicopters.

Considering the growing demand for fire-fighting aviation machines, during SITDEF 2021 Russian Helicopters’ specialists will share with potential customers the experience of using Russian helicopters to fight fires, particularly in difficult terrain. This year, Russian Helicopters machines extinguished a fire at the Lago Peñuelas national reserve in Chile, and triumphed over the elements in Mexico, participating in operations in Sierra de Arteaga and Michoacán, and in Cusco, Peru.

Furthermore, the Latin American region demonstrates significant potential for the development of air ambulance services. To expand the fleet of medical helicopters the Holding Company is ready to offer its customers the Ansat, which is actively used in Russia within the national program of air ambulance development for urgent transportation of patients, including COVID-19-infected ones. It is worth noting that Russian helicopters are already actively used by medical services in the region, for example, multi-purpose Mi-17s were involved in operations to deliver vaccines against COVID-19 in Mexico and Peru.

The Ansat light multipurpose helicopter, which has the largest cabin in its class, is suitable for a variety of applications: search and rescue, patrol, medevac, training, cargo-passenger, VIP and firefighting. The Ansat has successfully passed mountain trials which proved its capabilities to operate in mountainous terrain at altitudes of up to 3,500 meters. In some countries of Latin America, such as Brazil and Mexico, the machine has already passed preliminary certification.

The Mi-8/17 family, to which the newest Mi-171A2 belongs, has been well known in Peru for a long time. High-power engines and an upgraded complex of pilot navigation and radio communication equipment have expanded the scope of the helicopter's application and give the Mi-171A2 completely new capabilities to operate in high altitude areas in hot climates. The helicopter is designed to solve a wide range of tasks, from patrolling and coast guard to search and rescue operations, and is able to perform long non-stop flights. The Mi-171A2 has already been certified in Colombia, and the validation process is underway in Brazil.